


She's Kerosene

by HisBadWolf



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-04-12 07:42:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19127617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HisBadWolf/pseuds/HisBadWolf
Summary: Brienne is in a ska band with the Stark sisters and Margaery Tyrell.  When Jon Snow brings his friend Tormund to a show, he becomes fascinated with the severe blonde drummer, much to her chagrin.  Will his persistence pay off in the end?





	1. 11th Hour

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Every Other Freckle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13282032) by [spattergroit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spattergroit/pseuds/spattergroit). 



> AU Briemund, unabashedly inspired by Splattergroit's Every Other Freckle. 
> 
> The band that I can't stop listening to this summer is The Interrupters. The fic is named after their most well-known song, though my favorite is Gave You Everything - I think it's totally the kind of song Sansa would write after a nasty breakup with Joffrey! I'm planning to name all the chapters in this fic after their songs, as long as I can find a way to make that work.
> 
> I own nothing. Just can't get enough of my OTP!

Tormund knew something was up when he heard Jon arguing quietly on the phone. Something must have upset Princess Dany, he chuckled to himself. He was still surprised that his friend had gotten involved with such a high-maintenance woman – she was nothing like the girls he’d gone after when Tormund met him in Alaska, where they both had summer jobs.

When Tormund decided to move to Winterfell last year, he’d gotten in touch with his old friend and been pleased to find Jon was looking for a roommate. Since then, he’d been able to witness firsthand the drama of Jon’s relationship – but he couldn’t deny that the pair really loved each other, despite the fact that they seemed to go from crisis to crisis with amazing predictability. He supposed one day they would either get married, meaning he’d have to find a new place to live, or break up, in which case he’d drag Jon to strip clubs and bars in an effort to cheer him up. 

But Tormund wasn’t one to spend too much time worrying about things that hadn’t happened yet. He preferred to take life one day at a time, seeing every day as an adventure. 

“How’s the princess today?” he teased when Jon got off the phone. 

“She’s upset,” Jon replied morosely. “We were supposed to have a romantic weekend away to celebrate our six-month anniversary, but my cousins and their band are playing a show tonight and I want to go see them.”

Tormund scoffed. “Let me guess. Dany’s not happy about the spotlight being on someone who isn’t her on such a ‘special’ day.” Jon couldn’t miss the eye roll, or the air quotes that accompanied his large ginger friend’s sarcastic tone.

“No, plus she and Sansa don’t really get on very well. They’ve only met once, but I think their personalities are too similar for them to ever really be friends.” 

“So what are you going to do?” Tormund inquired, curious which of the women Jon most wanted to appease.

“I’m going to the concert! I haven’t seen the girls’ band in ages, and they really do put on a great show. I told Dany we can go to brunch tomorrow instead. She’s not thrilled, but she has to understand that my family is important to me too!” Jon sighed, sounding more resigned than excited. Then he turned to Tormund and said, “So, got any plans for tonight?”

Tormund laughed. “Nothing special! Why? Need a date for the show?”

“As a matter of fact I do! Sansa and Aria gave me two VIP tickets and backstage passes.”

Tormund knew Jon’s cousins were in a fairly successful ska band with two of their friends from college. He’d even heard a few of their songs, and liked the sound – and since he didn’t have anything else planned for the weekend, he figured he might as well go enjoy the concert and keep his friend company. But first, he did have one very important question to ask.

“Do we get free drinks with the VIP passes?”

* * * * * *

The band put on a great show. Winterfell was their home crowd, and they were coming to the end of a months-long tour, so they really put their all into it. 

Jon’s cousin Sansa was the lead singer, and her little sister Arya played bass. Their friend Margaery played guitar, but the one who really got Tormund’s attention was the drummer, a tall, severe blonde named Brienne. He was mesmerized by her style, and the passion she clearly had for her music. Plus he thought she was quite simply the most gorgeous woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

Jon noticed Tormund’s interest, and laughed to himself. His friend was in for quite a challenge; Brienne Tarth was the most stern woman he’d ever met. Still, this could be fun to watch.

After the show, they went backstage. Jon introduced Tormund to his cousins and Margaery, but clearly the large man only had eyes for Brienne. While the others were drinking beer and talking about which bar they should go to next, Brienne kept to herself, drinking a bottle of water and looking like she wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

“Brienne!” shouted Sansa. “You’re coming out with us, right? It’s tradition!” 

“Sansa, what are you on about?” Brienne scoffed. “This was our first tour. We don’t have traditions!”

“Then we should start some!” declared Margaery, with a mischevious gleam in her eye. She had seen the way Tormund was eying Brienne, and definitely wanted to see if her formidable friend could have a little fun tonight.

Brienne could see she wasn’t going to get out of this one. “Alright, one drink,” she said, feeling defeated as she made her way over to the rest of the group.

The tall redhead with the impressive beard was making her uncomfortable. Every time he caught her eye, he smiled at her in an almost manic way – she just didn’t know what to make of it. Usually she was in the background – she knew she was a stellar drummer, and she loved her friends, but they were the ones with the charisma. In particular, Sansa and Margaery were the ones who attracted copious quantities of male fans. No one was especially interested in the tall, somber drummer, and she was fine with that. 

So who was this wild man, and what did he want from her? Clearly he was a friend of the Starks’ cousin Jon, so she had almost no hope of ditching him tonight. But she was determined not to encourage his attentions.


	2. Be Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone conspires to get Tormund more time with Brienne, to his delight and her irritation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basic geography for this story:  
> North of the Wall - Alaska  
> Winterfell - Seattle  
> King's Landing - Los Angeles  
> Essos - New York City  
> Tarth - Key West

They made their way to a local dive bar. Brienne was still trying to avoid interacting with Tormund, but Sansa and Margaery regaled him with tales of their band’s first gigs at bars like this near their university in King’s Landing. They had all been happy to relocate to Winterfell after graduation, though Arya still had to finish her last year of college. Sansa informed him that the band was taking a year off now that they’d finished their tour, because their mother was frantic that Arya complete her degree. “Apparently having a successful album isn’t enough to convince her that music is a viable long-term career,” Sansa laughed.

Tormund was happy to chat with the other girls, but he kept his sights on Brienne. He would pepper her with questions, clearly trying to entice her to join the conversation, and he wasn’t the least bit put off by her apparent coldness toward him. As she went to the bar to get a round of drinks, Margaery teased, “Don’t mind Brienne – she’s got plans with Jamie later on!” Brienne blushed bright red, and hissed, “Why don’t you shut up?!” at her bandmate. 

Puzzled, Tormund waited til she walked away before asking, “Does she have a boyfriend? Because I can back the fuck off if she does!” The other three girls dissolved into fits of laughter, before explaining to him that Brienne famously did not date. “Jamie is what we call her vibrator,” Margaery whispered, and Tormund understood why the blonde had been mortified. Still, he chuckled and shook his head. 

“Why would a woman like that not date?” he wondered aloud. “She’s a goddess! I’d think she’d have men lining up around the block to spend time with her!” 

Arya looked at him speculatively. “Are you serious?” she asked. “Because Brienne hasn’t had an easy time with men, and if you’re just messing around you need to stop it and leave her alone.” 

He looked genuinely confused. Jon jumped in at this point, saying, “Tormund, Brienne is a great person, but you have to admit she’s not exactly a conventional beauty.” 

Tormund looked at him like he was an idiot. “Just because you can’t handle that much woman, Jon Snow, doesn’t mean I can’t. You stick with your princess and I’ll go for what I like!” His gaze went to Brienne, who was coming back to their table with a pitcher of beer, and it was clear to everyone that he was genuinely smitten.

The Stark girls and Margaery put their heads together. This wasn’t going to be easy, but surely they could conspire to help this wild man get to know their stoic friend. 

“Tormund,” Sansa said sweetly, “I think you should give us your phone number. Brienne takes a while to warm up to people, but I’m sure we can come up with a plan so you can spend more time with her.”

The big man agreed, and numbers were exchanged. Brienne came back to the table just then, none the wiser, and did her best to avoid speaking to Tormund for the rest of the night. 

* * * * *

The following weekend, Jon told Tormund they’d been invited to the Stark family compound for dinner. “Can you drive yourself?” he asked. “Dany is coming with me, and I’m not sure how long she’ll want to stay.”

“Sure, no worries,” Tormund agreed. “Any chance the big woman will be there?”

Jon laughed and shook his head. “I have no doubt my cousins are up to something. It’s quite likely she’ll be there, and she won’t be expecting to see you again.”

Tormund was nothing if not confident. “Excellent! Maybe I’ll catch her off guard, and she’ll actually have to have a conversation with me!” Jon had to admire the man’s optimism.

They arrived at the Stark house around 4pm, and Brienne was just getting out of her car as they pulled up. She greeted Jon, who introduced her to Dany, and then was clearly startled to see Tormund getting out of his truck. “Brienne! It’s great to see you again!” he exclaimed with obvious enthusiasm. 

“Tormund,” she nodded in his direction before turning quickly and heading into the house. 

“She knows my name!” Tormund whispered excitedly to Jon before following on her heels. 

Sansa and Arya met them inside, and their mother Catelyn was there as well. Brienne turned to Sansa and said, “Where’s Margaery? I thought the plan was for me to leave my car here and she would drive me to the airport?”

Sansa tried to look innocent as she replied, “Oh, Margaery had car trouble. I thought she was going to text you? And we’ve got to help Mom with dinner, so I thought I’d ask Tormund if he could drive you!”

Brienne was shocked. “No!” she stated. “I’ll just drive myself.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Bri!” Arya piped up. “You’re going to be gone for two weeks. The parking fees would be outrageous!”

Tormund took this as his cue to jump in. “It’s no problem at all! Come on, let’s get your suitcase into my truck! What time does your flight leave?” Never mind that he didn’t know where she was going, he was not about to pass up this opportunity to spend some time with Brienne.

Brienne was visibly frustrated, but could see that she wasn’t going to get out of this. Why were her friends scheming to make her spend time with this ridiculous man? She huffed, and headed back out to the driveway, saying over her shoulder, “Let’s go then. I’m going to be late if we wait much longer.”

Tormund turned a brilliant smile on the Stark sisters. “Thank you!” he mouthed over his shoulder as he followed Brienne back out toward his truck.

* * * * *

Brienne had every intention of staying silent for the duration of the drive to the airport, but she couldn’t completely resist Tormund’s determination to draw her into conversation. He kept it light, asking where she was going, and she found herself telling him about Tarth and how long it had been since she had been home to visit her father. He’d never been that far south, and though some of his questions about the island where she grew up sounded ridiculous, she could sense that he was sincere. 

When they got close, she tried to tell him just to drop her off out front, but he insisted on parking and walking her in. She rolled her eyes and snapped, “I’m not some helpless fool who can’t pull her own luggage!”

Tormund just gave her another manic grin, and said, “Of course not! But maybe I just want to talk to you a little bit longer.”

That stopped her cold. “Why?” she blurted out before she had a chance to think about what she was saying.

They had arrived in the parking garage by now, and he turned to face her as he replied. “Because you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I don’t want to waste this opportunity. It was hard enough to get you to talk to me at all, who knows when I’ll have another chance!” He gave her a sly look and continued, “Unless you’d like to have dinner with me when you get back?”

She looked at him like he had grown a second head. No one had ever called her beautiful, and she wasn’t sure how to respond. She finally shook her head and said, “I don’t really date.”

“Then we can have dinner as friends! Friends do eat together, don’t they?” he inquired. 

Clearly there was no escaping this man’s attentions. “Fine,” she mumbled. “Give me your number and I’ll call you when I get back.”

They exchanged numbers, and then he walked her to the security checkpoint. “Have a great trip!” he said enthusiastically, resisting the urge to pull her into a hug. “But don’t feel like you have to wait til you get back. I don’t sleep much, so if you get bored in Tarth you can always give me a call!”

“I hate talking on the phone,” she mumbled as she walked away. 

When she got to the departure gate, her phone vibrated, and she saw it was a text from Tormund. “Have fun! If you don’t want to talk, then just text :)”

Brienne sighed. What was it with this guy? And why did she feel inexplicably drawn to him? It must just be the attention. Two weeks of sun and sea at home would do her a world of good, and maybe Tormund Giantsbane would forget about her by the time she got back.


	3. Rumors and Gossip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Text messages from Tarth and Winterfell

Group text between Brienne, Sansa, Arya, and Margaery:

B - How is your car, M?

M – Fine! Was just a loose battery cable. Renly got it fixed pretty easily :)

B – I bet. I’m sure you weren’t just trying to throw me under the bus.

S – What are you on about?

B – Don’t bullshit me. You all want me to spend more time with Tormund for some reason.

A – Why can’t you have a little fun? You should see the way he looks at you!

B – Like he’s a crazy person? Yeah, I’ve noticed.

S – So how was the ride to the airport?

B – Not terrible. I’m still mad at you though. 

A – Bri, you know we have your best interest at heart. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, but why not give this guy a chance?

S – Yes, Jon says he’s legit crazy about you!

B – Or maybe just legit crazy. He was nice enough when I told him I don’t date, though apparently we’re having dinner “as friends” when I get back. 

M – (squealing gif)

B – (eyeroll emoji)

B – Just dinner, and just friends. 

A – Tell me again why you don’t date?

S – Because men are assholes and she wants to focus on her music, right Bri?

B – Yes. Speaking of which, I’ve got to run. The sunset is calling and I’m hoping for inspiration for some new songs.

M – Did you text Tormund to thank him for the ride?

B – Seriously, cut it out. I don’t think he needs any encouragement.

 

* * * * *

Group text between Jon, Sansa, and Arya:

S – What did T say about the drive to the airport?

J – Just that he was happy to get to talk to her. Apparently she couldn’t ignore him when it was just the two of them in the car.

A – I imagine that kind of focus is definitely hard to ignore ;)

J – But he says she doesn’t date? Though apparently they have a date when she gets back?

S – She insists it’s a friend thing. I hope he’s not giving up that easily!

J – Not a chance. I’ve never seen him like this before. She’s really under his skin.

A – Good. He’s going to have to work for it. Ask him if he’s heard from her since she’s been there?

J – I doubt it. I’m sure he’d tell me if he had.

 

* * * * *

 

Text between Brienne and Tormund:

B – Thanks again for the ride. It’s good to be home.

T – Anytime! How is island life?

B – Relaxing. Just what I needed. Do you really not sleep?

T – I do sometimes. Just not as much as Jon. Though I think he and Dany spend more time in bed than is absolutely necessary ;)

B – You’re incorrigible.

T – I try!

T – Do you really not date?

B – Nope.

T – Why?

B – Don’t want to. Prefer to spend my energy on other things.

T – OK. 

B – Really?

T – I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to. I still want to get to know you though, I hope we really can be friends.

B – That I can do.

T – So where are we going for dinner when you get back?

B – I don’t care. You can decide.

T – I like a challenge ;)

B – (eyeroll emoji)

T – Admit it, you like me.

B – Against my better judgment, I think we will in fact be friends. As long as you can respect my no-dating rule.

T – I won’t bring it up again. If you decide you want to date me, you’ll have to let me know.

B – Don’t hold your breath.

T – OK then. Have fun on Tarth. I’m always here if you want to chat!

 

* * * * *

Text between Jon and Tormund:

T – She texted me!

J – Really? Wow!

T – She keeps insisting we’re not going on a date. I told her that’s fine, I won’t mention dating again unless she brings it up. 

J – You are not exactly the king of subtle.

T – I can do this! If she really just wants to be friends, then that’s what we’ll do. I can only hope eventually she’ll succumb to my overwhelming charms.

J – Well, I can tell you the rest of the band is routing for you.

T – (thumbs up emoji)

J – We should do some group stuff when she gets back. I want Dany to get to know my cousins better.

T – You know I’m there for it! How is Princess Dany these days?

J – Really great. She’s amazing. I won’t be home tonight, going to stay at her place.

T – Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!

J – WTF would that be?!

T – (laughing gif)


	4. Room with a View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a slow burn, but I promise it's going places!

Brienne was always amazed how quickly time seemed to pass when she was on Tarth. Her father, Selwyn, was happy to have his only child home for a visit, but his work schedule kept him busier than not most days. This was fine with her, as it gave her time to relax and enjoy the beaches of her hometown. 

She spoke to her bandmates nearly every day, especially Sansa. While the two women couldn’t be more different, they had become fast friends when they met at university in King’s Landing. They bonded over their shared love of music, and spent more time together in their sophomore year after Sansa saw her boyfriend Joffrey’s true colors. She had originally come to King’s Landing to be closer to him, but the toxic interactions of his family had quickly become too much for her to handle, and when she found him cheating on her that was the last straw. Brienne was relieved, as she had never really liked Joffrey – he was attractive enough, she supposed, but he was always sneering and nasty when Sansa’s back was turned. 

The fallout from their breakup had been difficult for the redhead from Winterfell, but with Brienne’s help and encouragement she soon channeled her energy into writing songs, and that’s how the band was born. They chose the name Queensguard because Arya and Brienne thought it had a nice girl-power ring to it, and started playing gigs in local bars around King’s Landing. After Sansa, Brienne, and Margaery graduated, the girls decided to move to Winterfell – the music scene in the northwest was better suited to their sound, and they were all heartily sick of King’s Landing. Arya transferred her credits to the university there, but soon they were signed by a label and the youngest member of the band put her education on hold so they could record their first album – but only after promising her mother she’d finish her degree and not put it off indefinitely. 

Brienne was enjoying her time in Tarth, but she didn’t really have any close friends here. Her father kept a small sailboat in a local marina, and she decided to take it out for a few days, hoping the time alone would provide some inspiration for the songs she was hoping to write for their next album. Her reverie was briefly interrupted by a particularly grumpy phone call from Sansa, who was irritated that her cousin Jon kept trying to force a friendship between the Stark girls and his new girlfriend. Brienne listened and sympathized, and finally decided she needed a different perspective.

That evening, after she’d anchored the boat in a quiet cove and cleaned up after her simple dinner, she texted Tormund. “What is up with your roommate?” she inquired. 

To her surprise, he called her a minute later. “What did Jon do?” he asked, sounding puzzled.

“Sansa is bitching that he keeps trying to make her hang out with Dany. What’s his deal?”

Tormund laughed, and Brienne found she liked the sound of it. “Jon just really wants his family to accept Dany. She’s pretty important to him, and I think he thinks if he brings her around more they’ll get to know her like he does.”

“It sounds like she’s not really making much of an effort herself, though!” Brienne huffed. 

“She hasn’t had an easy life. I know she comes off pretty snobby, but you have to understand where she’s coming from.” Tormund proceeded to outline what he knew of Dany’s background – born in King’s Landing, the youngest child of a wealthy man who apparently went crazy shortly after she was born and killed his wife and oldest son. “She moved to Essos with her brother, who sounds pretty awful himself – he died last year in a car accident, and she got tired of living with her creepy foster uncle and decided to give life in Winterfell a try. She’s got plenty of money, but she’s definitely not good at letting people in – it’s a miracle that she and Jon connected like they did, honestly!”

Brienne was silent for a moment. She didn’t know Dany at all, but felt tremendous sympathy for the other girl. “You still there?” Tormund asked.

“Yes. I just… I had no idea about her family. That’s awful. My mom died when I was young, but at least I didn’t have to grow up knowing my dad was the one who killed her!”

They stayed on the phone for nearly an hour, talking about Brienne’s childhood on Tarth. When she got morose, remembering the year after her mother’s death from cancer and the cruelties she’d faced from her schoolmates when it was clear she’d never fit anything resembling a social norm, Tormund distracted her with stories from his own youth in Alaska. She couldn’t help but laugh at his tall tales, and she called him out on some of them – there was no way he had actually hit on a bear, no matter how drunk he’d gotten the night of his high school graduation! 

Finally she realized how late it was, and told him she had to go. She texted Sansa a quick note about Dany’s family, and the other girl asked how she’d found out and seemed unreasonably delighted that Brienne had spoken to Tormund. “Stop it!” Brienne replied. “We’re just friends!”

“Of course,” was Sansa’s reply, but Brienne could visualize the smug smirk on her friend’s face, and quickly turned off her phone before heading into the cabin to get some sleep.

* * * * *

Brienne awoke early the next morning, and found herself suddenly motivated. She grabbed a notebook and began writing lyrics, and before she knew it nearly the entire day had passed. She hadn’t had this kind of inspiration in ages, and hoped the other girls liked these songs as much as she did – especially the one about her mother. 

She knew she needed to get back to the marina, but texted her father that she’d be staying out one more day. She could rise early the next morning and watch the sunrise, and then sail back and have a few more days with her dad before her return to Winterfell. 

That evening, she was struck by the realization that she wanted to talk to Tormund again. He made her laugh, and was an excellent listener, and she was surprised at how much she enjoyed getting to know him – and that she wanted to get to know him better at all was really saying something. Men had never looked at her the way they looked at girls like Sansa and Margaery, and after a few painful crushes and awkward attempts at dating guys who were clearly just using her to get closer to her hot friends, she had given up the idea altogether. She neither wanted nor needed male companionship, she could take care of herself and didn’t see the point in hoping for something as ephemeral as romance – especially considering the pain that falling in love seemed to have caused her friends. 

Still, she reasoned, there was nothing wrong with forming a friendship. As she was rationalizing this, her phone rang, and it was him. They talked late into the night, sharing more stories about growing up and laughing about Jon’s continuing efforts to force a friendship between Dany and Sansa. Brienne found herself smiling when Tormund suggested things they could all do as a group when she got back, and quickly agreed it would be easier to get the two women to spend time together in that kind of setting. 

When they hung up, she was startled to realize how much she was looking forward to seeing him again. She checked her email before retiring, and was annoyed to see a message from the airline that they’d changed her return flight from Winterfell to Portland – shit, that was nearly three hours away! She thought for a moment, then texted Tormund, “If you don’t have plans this weekend, any chance you could pick me up in Portland on Saturday afternoon? Sorry, I know it’s a hell of a drive.”

And of course he replied with lightning speed, “Sure, no worries! Send me your flight info and I’ll be there.”

Brienne was nervous. She hoped he didn’t think this meant anything. She was fairly sure it did, but she wasn’t even ready to admit that to herself.


	5. Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't feel like I'm doing this story justice, so I'm going to take a break for a while and see if I can get myself better organized before I come back to it. Hopefully it won't be too long, but there's a chance I may take the whole thing down and start over!

Thanks for your patience. I hope to be re-inspired soon.


End file.
